Mistaken Consequences

Chapter 16: Thirty-four weeks: Part II

Vera protested as she was ushered to the front of the room to stand beside Kepler. The grinning bitch never stopped smiling.

"We don't need to do this," Vera said when she reached her.

"It's a baby shower, Vera. The games are half the fun," Kepler insisted. She turned back to the crowd of chuckling disciples. "Now, anyone who's been to a baby shower before probably knows this first game. There are several rolls of toilet paper on the table at the back of the room. Take one and tear off as many sheets as you think it will take to go all the way around Vera's belly."

Vera closed her eyes, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.

She opened them to find Randall Carpio spinning his roll, the paper already piling up on the ground at his feet. Hamish finally reached out and stopped him when Randall was well past the needed amount. Hamish glanced up at her for only a split second before looking back at the roll in his hands. He carefully rolled out a number of squares, hesitated, and then added a few more.

Vera knew she blushed then, unable to beat back the thought that he'd be picturing a much much smaller her if he was trying to base this off the one time he'd held her in his arms. She could see by the amount he was holding in his hands that he was underestimating her size. Unlike the others in the room who were clearly trying to avoid offending her, his didn't feel like a compliment.

She let out a breath. So what? So what if Hamish was trying to use an old memory as a starting point? So what if he wouldn't even look at her to try to guess? She didn't care if he won or lost this game. He was one of her students, nothing more. He'd never been anything more than that. It didn't matter that he wouldn't win this one...

"Okay, everyone has their guesses?" Kepler asked. "Then let's see who's closest."

Vera grit her teeth and refused to look at Kepler as she stood in front of a room full of her disciples, having a roll of toilet paper wrapped around her middle. It was humiliating. Especially seeing as how Kepler felt like she needed to walk around Vera rather than just reach around. Vera didn't think she was that big. Still, she dutifully held the end of the roll against the furthest point of her belly so that Kepler could walk around her, slowly counting the squares as she went.

The whole time, her daughter kicked and squirmed, apparently more excited for her party than Vera was. Bitsy noticed it instantly when she reached the side of Vera's belly again. Vera couldn't stop her gaze from darting over to Hamish when Kepler laughed, abandoning her wrapping job to rub the side of Vera's belly instead.

Did he even care that his baby was kicking? She had been trying so hard not to bring attention to it when he was near, not wanting to make things uncomfortable between them. This was the first time she wouldn't be able to pretend it wasn't happening. Would he wonder what it felt like? Would it pull any sort of feelings from him?

He wasn't even looking at her...

Hamish had turned and was talking to Lilith Bathory, totally ignoring her at the front of the room. There was a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as Lilith said something she was too far away to hear.

Maybe it was better this way.

"You're getting so much stronger, yes you are," Kepler cooed.

"Kepler," Vera hissed.

"Fine, fine," she relented, but she made a point of keeping her hand on Vera's belly long enough to feel one more sharp jab. "With kicks like those, you're either doing ballet or Mommy is putting you in soccer," she whispered to the baby. "Aunt Bitsy will even drive you."